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Meet our team
Benefits advice from our Partners and key team members
Mark Bingham
Partner
With over 23 years in the industry, Mark has worked with leading innovators on ways to encourage people to save more towards their retirement and has developed strategies to aid this; to the benefit of the members and increased return on investment for employers.
Mark takes a collaborative approach, and works closely with his clients on an assortment of pension and benefit issues, providing leadership and creative solutions to meet these needs. He has specialist knowledge in the winding up of pension schemes, the need for governance and the implications of regulatory and legal requirements.
Mark is passionate about the communication of employee benefits; keeping it simple and easy for members to understand and take action and has also written a book on the subject.
He has spoken at various leading benefit and pension conferences and is often quoted in HR and benefit publications.
Ian Bird
Business Development Director
With over 25 years' experience in financial services and employee benefits, Ian understands the needs of the clients he works with.
Ian specialises in workplace savings schemes, including group pensions, corporate ISAs, share plans, group risk and financial education.
Ian passionately believes that financial education and advice in the workplace is essential to ensure employees can plan effectively for their financial futures. He believes good, plain English, and a multi-channel approach to communication should be a fundamental part of any employer's benefits strategy. And as such, Ian founded our online financial education tool, Mybenefitsatwork.
Ian works with a range of clients, from major UK employers, global brands and charities across a number of different industry sectors.
Darren Laverty
Partner
Darren has over 30 years' experience working in the financial services and employee benefits industries. He is passionate about financial education and communication, and making a difference to the financial lives of the people he meets.
Darren has worked with some of the UKs most impressive employers on all aspects of the benefits package.
Darren is also a highly accomplished public speaker and a leading financial education pension and benefits commentator, frequently quoted in the press. He has also published his first book; Make Their Money Count - looking at how employers can deliver financial education in the workplace.
Sue Lewis
Principal Partner
With over 20 years’ experience working in financial services and employee benefits, Sue has developed a deep level of knowledge and understanding when interpreting the needs of her clients.
Sue loves working alongside HR teams, helping them to achieve their goals. Her enthusiasm is infectious and it’s what helps set her apart from many others in the employee benefits sector.
Sue’s approach to client service, supported by her team, is exceptional and it is something that she is passionate about.
This is one reason why many of Sue’s clients come to her through a referral.
Whilst Sue has a number of clients in the IT, technology and pharmaceutical sectors, she also has many clients in other industries. Clients range in size from small start-ups and SMEs to national organisations.
Sue is able to advise on most aspects of employee benefits advice including pensions and group risk.
Matthew Mitten
Partner
Matthew has over 20 years' experience working in financial services.
Matthew is passionate about how we communicate in the workplace, using all the tools available to deliver multi-channel communications to engage with as wide an audience as possible.
His expertise in the employee benefits and pensions arena is extensive. Matthew is at the forefront of Secondsight’s financial wellbeing initiative, linking the broader concepts of money and mental health with financial matters and traditional pension and benefits programmes.
Matthew has been involved in new pension scheme launches, financial education programmes, wellbeing initiatives and flexible benefit design.
He regularly presents at leading HR events and sharing panels alongside pension ministers and other industry experts.
Neal Shepherd
Partner
Neal has over 35 years' experience in the financial services industry and has a wealth of employee benefits experience.
Neal has worked with a number of employers to increase their return on investment on their benefits spend. Neal is passionate about helping employees understand their benefits through simple, easy to understand communication.
Neal is able to offer advice on all aspects of the employee benefits package; in particular pensions, salary sacrifice and group risk products.
Nicholas Perry
Partner
Nick has over 15 years' experience in the financial services industry, specifically working within Employee Benefits the past few years.
Nick joined the Secondsight team in 2020 as an Employee Benefits Adviser, working with our clients and their employees presenting action inducing content and working with individuals on a one-to-one basis to help them understand all areas of finance.
Nick has recently stepped into the role of Employee Benefits Partner and is working with our corporate and charity clients. Nick is extremely client focussed and passionate about getting to know his clients and understand their needs and objectives in order to support them in offering the best in employee benefits design, implementation and communication.
Outside of work, Nick can most likely be found on the golf course!
Gavin Brooks
Partner
Gavin has over two decades of experience in financial services, specialising in workplace pensions, group risk and healthcare, and technology integration.
He excels in offering strategic advice and consultancy services to employers who aspire to provide tailored and engaging reward packages for their employees. By fostering continuous engagement and facilitating access to easily understandable financial education and benefits information, employees are empowered to take steps to help them reach their financial goals. This, in turn, leads to an increased sense of appreciation for their employers.
Gavin works with start-ups, SMEs, charities, and large employers.
Nickie Parris (AKA Fisher)
Group Risk and Healthcare Adviser
Nickie has more than 25 years’ experience working in the Financial Services industry, specialising specifically in healthcare and has worked for a number of large insurers.
Nickie joined Secondsight 14 years ago, as Group Risk & Healthcare Coordinator, and was promoted to Account Executive in 2013. In 2018, Nickie completed her CII IFI exam, and promoted, taking her to the position of, Group Risk and Healthcare Adviser. Through Nickie's tremendous achievements, she was again promoted, and now holds a position as Senior Group Risk and Healthcare Adviser.
Nickie is extremely client focussed and is passionate about getting to know her clients personally, helping her to provide her clients with the best possible client experience.
Nickie is a keen baker and could certainly rival those who have appeared on The Great British Bake Off!
Rebecca Eastwood
Healthcare Adviser
Rebecca has more than 35 years’ experience in financial services, working for a number of large insurance and financial advisory firms in and around London.
Rebecca joined Secondsight in 2005, as a Practice Manager, before exclusively moving in to Group Risk and Healthcare in 2009, specialising in PMI.
Rebecca is extremely client focused and advises her clients on all aspects of Group Healthcare, Travel, Dental and Cashplan schemes.
Rebecca also supports our Parent Company, Foster Denovo’s Partners with individual private medical insurance plans.
Rebecca holds the Chartered Institute of Insurers and the Personal Finance Society Certificate and is currently working towards her Level 4 Diploma and Level 6 Advanced Diploma in Insurance.
Additionally, Rebecca is the current President of the Insurance Institute of Royal Tunbridge Wells.
Darren Cole
Employee Benefits Adviser
Darren has over 17 years’ experience of advising, guiding and educating clients within the financial services industry. Many of those years were spent working for multiple well-known high street banks/building societies as a Financial Adviser.
His main passion is helping people to understand complex financial subjects, building confidence and empowering them to make decisions. Over the past 5 years, he has focused on enhancing his public speaking/education skills to further help clients on their financial journeys.
He has an astonishing reputation for leaving a positive lasting impression on those who attend his presentations and webinars. With many attendees going on to take the necessary actions to improve their own financial wellbeing.
Darren has a keen interest in fintech and how it can be used to improve communication in a new and exciting way. Outside of work he is also a keen gamer, handyman and sports fan.
Becky Loader
Group Risk and Healthcare Adviser
Becky has over 13 years' experience in the financial services industry. In June 2020, she joined the Secondsight team as a Group Risk and Healthcare Adviser. Her role involves offering advice on all Group Risk and Healthcare products.
Becky is passionate about getting to know her clients well and to help ensure the benefits they offer are closely aligned with their company's needs. Outside of work, she enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends. She also dedicates her weekends volunteering at the local nature reserve.
Vanessa Eagle
Group Risk and Healthcare Adviser
Vanessa has over 12 years' experience in the financial services industry, specialising in group risk and healthcare, In September 2019, she joined the Secondsight team as a Group Risk and Healthcare Adviser.
Her role involves providing advice on all Group Risk and Healthcare products. Vanessa is passionate about building strong relationships with her clients, working closely with them to ensure their policies align with their needs, and ultimately bring benefits to their employees.
Outside of work, she enjoys spending quality time with her family, taking her dogs, and sometimes cat on a good walk.
Lindsey Reader
Employee Benefits Adviser
Lindsey has over 20 years’ experience in the financial services industry. After gaining her university degree in Business Economics, she joined the Secondsight team in 2005 and worked as a Financial Paraplanner.
After a few years, Lindsey decided it was time for a change, and is now an Employee Benefits Adviser focusing on advising clients on their workplace pensions.
Lindsey is passionate about helping people understand how to effectively manage their plans to achieve their retirement goals.
Outside of work, she enjoys mushroom hunting (purely for photography only – as she admits to lacking the confidence to eat any!) and paddleboarding on the river near her home.
Samantha Hornby
Group Risk and Healthcare Adviser
Sammy has over 15 years' experience working in the financial services industry, specialising in Group Risk and Healthcare. She rejoined the Secondsight team in August 2023, after previously being here for 10 years from 2008 as a Group Risk and Healthcare Adviser.
Sammy’s passion lies in ensuring her clients fully understand the additional value that wellbeing services can bring to their Risk and Healthcare policies.
Outside of work, she enjoys spending quality time with family where her 2 young children keep her on her toes!
Client Testimonials
We've thoroughly enjoyed our introduction to Secondsight. The whole team is exemplary in their commitment to providing excellent and efficient service and we wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to other law firms or professional services firms seeking a refreshing approach to managing their employee benefits. We are looking forward to continuing our relationship with the business over the coming years.
Caroline Stevens, Director, Crowell & Moring
The ideas and connections Secondsight have brought to Epson, and our local HR team, have been invaluable and meant we have set new financial benefits and wellbeing solutions in place that we would simply not have done before.
Stuart Chalmers, HR Manager UK, Ireland and Nordics, Epson Europe
The world of pensions can be quite grey but you always bring a huge amount of colour to it. I have never been so engaged with pensions and neither have our employees. I would highly recommend you and your team.
Alison Field, Group HR Director, Briggs Equipment
Communication and employee word of mouth have been key to its success to date. We truly believe that the financial education programme is an excellent investment - both in terms of time and money.
Rick Hewitt, Finance Director and Board member at Ricoh
A* customer service and assistance. Nothing is too much trouble.
Jane Howard, Payroll and Rewards Officer, Yazaki Europe
Over the last three years, this team has been proactive and efficient, highly knowledgeable plus friendly and easy to deal with.
David Barry, HR Manager, Manufacturing Technology Centre